Monday, August 20, 2012

It may be just a fleeting business story or it may be a significant bellwether of where things are going in the relationship between media companies and advertisers -- and, not least, readers. Condé Nast, which publishes many of the best-recognized consumer magazines in the world, has bought into a company that provides so-called cloud-based advertising technology which allows marketers to change their ads on the fly, according to a story in the New York Times.

It has bought an 11% share in Flite, a digital advertising company whose system allows advertisers to change their ads as they see which images or messages are most popular with users (what we used to call readers) so they can change things up, emphasizing elements that get the most clicks or comments.

Josh Stinchcomb, vice president for corporate partnerships at Condé Nast, said Flite’s technology allowed the company to provide more creative and customized options for advertisers online.

“We do a lot of custom advertising work for our clients,” he said. “I think we’re always trying to find that balance between design flexibility and standardization.”